Vinayakan

Vinayakan Biography

Vinayakan, born Vinayakan T. K. in 1970 in Ernakulam, Kerala, is an Indian actor, former dancer and composer who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema alongside Tamil-language films. He began his career as a dancer and led a troupe named Black Mercury, with fire dance as his speciality, before director Thampi Kannanthanam introduced him to the screen in Maanthrikam (1995).

He was noticed for his performances in Stop Violence, Vellithira, Chathikkatha Chanthu, Chotta Mumbai and Thottappan, and won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor in 2016 for his portrayal of Gangadharan (Ganga) in Rajeev Ravi’s Kammattipaadam — a performance that also brought him a North American Film Award and a Cinema Paradiso Club Cine Award, and a National Film Award nomination. His other recognised roles include Edakochi “Dude” in the Aadu series and Ayyappan in Lijo Jose Pellissery’s Ee.Ma.Yau, which was named among The Hindu‘s top 25 Malayalam films of the decade.

Vinayakan gained wider, pan-India attention playing the antagonist Varman in Nelson Dilipkumar’s Tamil action film Jailer (2023), opposite Rajinikanth. He also works in music: he composed the song “Puzhu Pulikal” for Kammattipaadam, marking his debut as a music director, and the title track of Trance (2020), and has sung playback for films including Role Models and Ordinary. Between 2023 and 2025 he was taken into custody in three separate publicly reported incidents relating to disorderly conduct, in Kochi, Hyderabad and Kollam.

Basic Details

• Full Name: Vinayakan T. K.
• Profession: Actor, composer, former dancer
• Industry: Malayalam cinema (Mollywood); also Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films
• Year of Birth: 1970 (exact date not publicly documented)
• Birthplace: Ernakulam, Kerala, India
• Nationality: Indian
• Years Active: 1995 – present
• Major Award: Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor (2016)

Career Highlights

Awards